I was talking about the descriptors, though. I'm not sure whether the presence of odd varieties in 1% to 5% lots shows up that much in a finished wine. Something really aromatic like Muscat will, but Tannat? A skosh more tannin, maybe?

I opened one of my few remaining bottles of 2002 Vine Cliff Cabernet tonight with spaghetti. This wine from Napa Valley it was again quite nice. The tannins were almost completely resolved ( my wife is the judge here) but there was still a lot of black currant fruit and a definite note of herb (oregano ?) to add complexity. I sure wish I had another case of this wine as I could see this aging easily for 6-8 more years.

I'm enjoying the notes and have an Arrowood Cab ready to open sometime next week. Tim, too bad you can't get to that Wynns John Riddoch from Australia. I think I have one John Riddoch left but Wynns is no longer imported to the US and I miss them plus their less expensive black label Cab. Drew, thanks for the note on the Geyser Peak. That is another one I have enjoyed in past years but haven't had a recent vintage.

Gary, I prefer my Cabs. at 10-12 years old, still with lots of fruit but with some secondary complexity developing. This is easier said than done however. I'm better with aging Bordeaux but drink many of my Cal cabs. too young but try to compensate by giving them LOTS of decant time.

David M. Bueker wrote:The rest of the field was best forgotten, including a 2003 Leoville Poyferre that showed everything bad about the 2003 vintage (high alcohol, dried prune fruit, bitter finish), and not one, but two bottles of 2012 Apothic Red that was retchingly sweet and not unlike IHOP blueberry syrup. Lest you think that was the bottom of the barrel, two wines scored lower than the Apothic. The 2011 Duckhorn Decoy Cabernet Sauvignon (Sonoma County)

David M. Bueker wrote:The rest of the field was best forgotten, including a 2003 Leoville Poyferre that showed everything bad about the 2003 vintage (high alcohol, dried prune fruit, bitter finish), and not one, but two bottles of 2012 Apothic Red that was retchingly sweet and not unlike IHOP blueberry syrup. Lest you think that was the bottom of the barrel, two wines scored lower than the Apothic. The 2011 Duckhorn Decoy Cabernet Sauvignon (Sonoma County)

Tonight with pot roast of venison I opened the 2005 Korbin Kameron Cabernet Sauvignon. It needed more decant time but after a few minutes became a bit more civil with spicy plum and a definite note of dark roast coffee. Nice wine with lots of future aging potential. abv of 14.6%

Tonight with left-over venison pot roast I opened the 2005 Le Conseiller Bordeaux. It was much more open for business now than the previous bottles but is still a few more years (5-8) for true maturity. The black bramble fruit dominated with a touch of plum but no spice or secondary complexity. Tannins were mostly resolved but need a few more years as mentioned to be really smooth. I'll take my remaining bottles to my off-site storage. There is some Cabernet Sauvignon in the blend but it may not be dominant. I'll probably never post more on a focus that this topic!

With a vastly improved S Africa selection downtown, I continue to look for good wines from this area, especially Stellenbosch.

TN: 2009 Allesverloren Cabernet Sauvignon.

Sited as one of the oldest vineyards in the area, 13.5% alc, $22 Cdn, Lot LB 118K 10.

No sediment noted, medium red-ruby in color. Some oak, cigar on the nose, no burnt rubber tones, cherry, blackcurrant. Hints of raspberry on day 2.Initial entry thought is quite dry, good tannins do not overpower the fruit. Very berryish, smooth, nice backbone, more cherry and currant. Riper fruit shows up on day 2, this is good quality cab. Drinks nicely now, terrific with hudderite sausage.

Found this one along with a number of other interesting long forgotten bottles buried deep in my passive basement cellar. 1983 not being the most spectacular California vintage I had a backup bottle ready, but amazingly enough this one was still alive! Certainly some years beyond what would have been the optimal drinking window but still provided a decent accompaniment to broiled baby lamb chops, pasta with chipotle/garlic sauce & a salad.We liked it the most immediately after decanting when it had a slight green pepper quality to it which gradually faded . Fruit for the most part is gone, oak is present, tannins resolved, substantial acid, and decent depth that I can only describe as "winey".

Brought this one back from Disney World in 1986 on Amtrak when my kids were little, so fun to drink from a nostalgic perspective as well

Château Potensac Médoc cru bourgeois 1995. Cabs are currently quite low at this Médoc estate, C Sauvignon 36% & C Franc 18% with 45% Merlot and 1% Carmenère. I wonder if the Cabs were not higher in proportion in the mid 90s?

Transport and about 3 weeks upright storage at about 20°C seems to have suited this bottle, perhaps the most gracious of the half dozen so far. There was no sign of the angular tannins of which I complained on some earlier bottles and this was a sturdy and expressive medium plus bodied left banker with plenty of savoury fruit allied to some secondary complexity. Very satisfying with succulent lamb.

2007 Tobin James, Paso Robles, “5”; This was their second “5” which is a blend of the five Bordeaux grapes, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petite Verdot, and Malbec. They all come from various Paso vineyards in various proportions. It lists for $55 and came with the spring ’10 wine club shipment; and weighs in at 14.46% alcohol. It gave a ton of fruit on the nose and upfront. There was more ripe fruit and a touch of cassis in the complexity on the palate. The finish lingered nicely. We match it with seared and roasted (quickly) rib eye steak, roasted red potatoes and salad.

2005 Serene Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon - I bought this during my stop in Santa Cruz, on the way back from Hawaii 2 years ago. The proprietor owns vineyards in the Napa Valley, but sells his wines Santa Cruz. Looking back, I opened a 2007 version of this in June 2012 (http://www.wineloverspage.com/forum/village/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=44459&p=363858). A search also revealed the Brian Miller opened a bottle of the 2005 about the same time (http://www.wineloverspage.com/forum/village/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=44459&p=363858). 14.7% abv. While Brian had a crumbling cork issue, Mine simply broke and came out in 2 pieces. I decanted this for about 2 hours. Very deep ruby color, nose of red fruit, a bit of cigar box and a hint of black olives. The alcohol did not seem overwhelming. Long full finish, hitting everywhere in the mouth, juicy acidity and nice tannic structure. I liked this a lot. It went well with a nice Valentines dinner of grilled bacon wrapped filet, twice baked potatoes, home made sourdough bread, green beans and salad.Looking above, at Tim York's post, I had a 2000 Château Potensac ready as a backup for this meal, so I may be opening it in the near future.

Two California Cabernet Sauvignon wines from 1999:' 1999 Chateau Montelena The Montelena Estate Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley, CA. 13.9% abv. From a 375 ml. bottle. I didn't decant this but let the first glass aerate for about 30 minutes in the glass after the first sip. Dark purple color with light brownish rim; opaque. The nose seems "sweet" with cassis, blackberries, and cocoa. Cassis, mint, and vanilla are expressed on the palate with an intense and long finish. On the final glass, I was picking up some raspberry notes as well but predominantly dark fruits and cocoa. Smooth, integrated, balanced, and ready to go. Some fine sediment. I enjoyed this with sirloin tips and strips of bell pepper and onion.

1999 Arrowood Cabernet Sauvignon, Sonoma County Reserve Special, CA. 14.3% abv. Aged 24 months in small French and American oak cooperage, lots selected and blended and returned to French and American oak barrels for several months additional aging. Sipping this side-by-side with the above wine, the Montelena was deeper and darker on the palate and more minty. The Arrowood is viscous, forming tears on the side of the glass and may be revealing some signatures of a mature wine. Enjoyable in its own right with sirloin tips and bell pepper strips and baked potato. This seems to have red fruit notes, red currants maybe, along with some earthiness. Any oak influence has integrated.

I will be sampling two more Cabernets Feb. 22 at a wine tasting fundraiser.

This bottle was a real delight and much better than my memory and notes of a previous bottle opened about 18 months ago. Right upon opening I knew that this bottle was a winner with discreet but well defined and delicious aromas of red fruit with a noble green edge enhanced by notes of cigar box and pencil shavings. The body was medium plus and the fruit less primary and more complex than the previous bottle with above all more developed aromatic expression with carried through on the decently long finish. This is in a different league of charm and elegance than the very good and robust Potensac 95 and Poujeaux 00 opened previously this month and shows the beauties of the St.Julien terroir with grand cru class coming through. Perfect with guinea fowl. We finished the bottle and were ready for more. Excellent.

2011 Knapp, Finger Lakes NY, Cabernet Sauvignon ($18.95 U.S.; Alcohol level: 14%). It provided plenty of fruit upfront and on the nose including the varietally correct black currents. It held up extraordinarily across the palate with smooth tannin; and it finished nicely. Matched with rib eye steak tonight that was just the right size and cooked perfectly IMHO. Also enjoyed cut up oversize red potatoes, and roasted the pieces; very good. And also a salad with freshly made salad dressing. Was it a great Saturday night dinner? You bet!

There's a wine/liquor store several miles from my home which I haven't visited for several years as they had problems with selling untaxed cigarettes and some illegal gambling issues. Recently I learned that the business was sold to new owners of Indian nationality and I thought I'd stop in and check the place out. The store has a large wine collection and different shelving has been put in place with every bottle standing straight up. The wines are also not grouped by varietal, region or color, except merlot, very strange, so one just walks the aisles looking at every bottle. There are many older bottles, 5 to 10 years old from good to very good wineries. So I'm strolling the middle aisle and spot the above lone bottle at $13.99 retail so I grab that along with a 2002 Wolf Blass gold label shiraz as my two purchases. The S2 was wonderful, full throttle, in your face, larger that life cab with deep blackberry and black fruits flavor, hints of Chambord, tar and dark chocolate. Initially a touch of heat from the 15.9% Alc/vol which calmed down after some time in the glass. The S2 was rich, somewhat rustic and fun to visit but I wouldn't want a steady diet of this monster...fun for the moment though.

Medium ruby red, no sign of age. On the nose cassis, curranty but not all that forthcoming.Initial entry thought is quite dry, needs more definition. Mature tannins, nice easy type drinker. Has good structure, red fruits but not overly fruity. Better on day 2, showed some green peppers but maybe if I had had a fellow taster might have got more from this?Have to wonder how much cab sauv is produced in Germany.

This winery was a nice surprise. I was bicycling by and decided to check them out. The older lady running the tasting room was very fun to talk with, and the wines seemed to show a nice balance/elegance to them. She said that the winemaker had become tired of over-extraction and had begun dialing back and picking earlier.

Their 2010 Cabernet was quite nice. I usually don;t like very many Dry Creek Cabernets, but this wine featured some bright cherry fruit, balanced oak, no prominent alcohol, and a very refreshing hit of acid on the mid-palate that I liked quite a bit. Some earthy and savory notes might come out in a few years, but this wine is delicious right now.

...(Humans) are unique in our capacity to construct realities at utter odds with reality. Dogs dream and dolphins imagine, but only humans are deluded. –Jacob Bacharach